The present disclosure generally relates to a wire gripping assembly. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a wire gripping assembly that includes a pair of pivotable lever arms that move between a gripping position and a release position upon the linear movement of a rack member.
Presently, wire gripping assemblies are known and widely used in the processing of wire, including the cutting, stripping and crimping of wire sections.
Wire gripping assemblies typically include gripping jaws that are movable between a gripping position and a release position. When the gripping jaws are in the gripping position, the wire being processed is securely held by the gripping jaws. When the wire section is moved to the desired location, the gripping jaws are separated to release the section of wire being processed.
Currently available wire gripping assemblies include some type of mechanical linkage to move a pair of lever arms between the gripping position and the release position. The mechanical linkage can take many different forms but is typically actuated by some type of air cylinder. In many embodiments, the mechanical linkage creates a significant amount of mass that hinders the movement of the gripper assembly from one location to another. The complex arrangement of the mechanical linkage increases the size of drive member required to move the lever arms and also increases the overall cost and complexity of the wire processing system.